The Korea Herald

US ambassador abruptly postpones press meeting citing 'urgent' matter

US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert abruptly postponed a press conference scheduled for Thursday, citing an "urgent" reason for the decision.Lippert who started his duty as top US envoy in October 2014 was supposed to hold a "farewell" press conference at 11 a.m. in his residence located in central Seoul. The ambassador appointed by President Barack Obama is expected to leave office soon after the Donald Trump administration takes office on Jan. 20.An embassy official said that the press m

Jan. 5, 2017

US ambassador abruptly postpones press meeting citing 'urgent' matter

Hitting the road on a rustic Korean getaway

For New Zealand Ambassador Clare Fearnley, her trip to North Gyeongsang Province this winter was like a walk down memory lane. Fearnley visited Hahoe Village in Andong -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- to participate in the International Mask Dance Festival in early October. The venue offered a “window into Korea’s past,” she said, as a living sanctuary of ancient lifestyles. Participants pose at the Hahoe Village in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Dec. 17. (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)Hahoe V

Jan. 2, 2017

Hitting the road on a rustic Korean getaway

Chinese airlines withdraw plans for chartered flights to S. Korea

Chinese airlines have withdrawn plans to run chartered flights to South Korea for the busy Chinese New Year holiday season next month, the transport ministry said Saturday.Two Chinese air carriers -- China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Air -- rolled back requests for the South Korean government to approve their plans to run chartered flights to South Korea a day earlier, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.The companies cited "internal Chinese environment" as re

Dec. 31, 2016

S. Korean FM calls on businesses to hedge against tension with China

South Korea's foreign minister raised the need on Thursday for the nation's private businesses and cultural industry to reduce their dependence on China to hedge against strained bilateral ties as shown recently by a dispute over Seoul's missile shield plan.The government faces growing calls at home to cancel its agreement with the United States to install a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in the country next year, as China took the apparently retaliatory actions of curbing South Kore

Dec. 30, 2016

Taiwan pivots to ASEAN through policy

The government of Taiwan approved its New Southbound Policy on Dec. 14, a move intended to lessen economic dependence on the mainland and shore up ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other regional allies.According to the Taiwanese representative office in Seoul, the policy is expected to “propel Taiwan’s economic development and foment fruits of the future, reorienting its place as a major country in the Asian region.” By fleshing out policy directions, objectives and enter

Dec. 26, 2016

Canada, Korea to collaborate in science, technology and innovation

The governments of Canada and Korea signed an agreement last week to lay the ground for bilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation.At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on Dec. 20, Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Canadian Ambassador to Korea Eric Walsh inked the Science, Technology and Innovation Agreement, which builds on head of state visits in 2014. The accord sets in motion an institutional framework for civilian activities of common interest, mutual benefit a

Dec. 26, 2016

Canada, Korea to collaborate in science, technology and innovation

French Embassy to be repurposed, refashioned

The French Embassy in Seoul will be repurposed to its original glory, unveiling its traditional and modernist structures, according to the diplomatic mission.The new plan will refashion the residence and chancery, while adding an 11-story tower office and two-story gallery spanning 60 meters. The chancery in particular, which performs administrative duties, will be refurbished to its original form under the new name “Pavillon.” “Within the framework of partnership between France and Korea, the F

Dec. 26, 2016

French Embassy to be repurposed, refashioned

Myanmar woos investments in infrastructure, transport and energy

With the recent enactment of the investment law and lifting of sanctions, Myanmar has become friendlier to foreign investment, particularly in infrastructure, transport and energy, according to its state investment agency. The Myanmar Investment Law was passed on Oct. 18 by combining the country’s foreign investment law and citizen investment law, providing income tax exemptions of up to seven consecutive years to outside investors, operating in underdeveloped regions. When the law comes into ef

Dec. 26, 2016

Myanmar woos investments in infrastructure, transport and energy

S. Korea, Vietnam to discuss military cooperation

Senior officials from South Korea and Vietnam will hold a meeting this week to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral military cooperation and curb North Korea's nuclear threat, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday. South Korean Vice Defense Minister Hwang In-moo began a three-day visit in Hanoi that day to attend the fifth annual defense strategic dialogue with his counterpart Nguyen Chi Vinh, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. Hwang also plans to meet Vietnamese Defence Minist

Dec. 26, 2016

Acting President Hwang says THAAD should be deployed quickly

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Wednesday that an advanced U.S. anti-missile system has to be deployed to South Korea as soon as possible to counter North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.Hwang made the remarks amid calls from opposition parties to delay the planned deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the Korean Peninsula given the lack of public consensus and China's vehement opposition to it. Seoul hopes to install a THAAD b

Dec. 21, 2016

French chamber fetes thriving ties with Korea

Marking the 130th anniversary of bilateral ties and 30th anniversary of founding, the French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a gala on Dec. 10 in Seoul that spotlighted its feats and future. The event at Grand Hyatt Seoul attracted some 800 guests related to France commercially and diplomatically. The theme of the event was “Impressive Normandy,” referring to the northern region in France with a rich history and culture as well as a vibrant and creative economy. “These two anniver

Dec. 19, 2016

French chamber fetes thriving ties with Korea

Philippine envoy awarded Ambassador of Year

Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez (center) poses with Dr. Lee Hong-koo (left), Asia Society Korea center honorary chairman and former Korean prime minister, and Han Sung-joo, an Asia Society board member and former foreign minister, at a ceremony in Seoul on Dec. 9, where he was conferred the 2016 Ambassador of the Year Award. Hernandez was honored for actively supporting the organization and diplomatic community here, as well as promoting relations between the Philippines and Kor

Dec. 19, 2016

Philippine envoy awarded Ambassador of Year

Nabeghlavi, Georgian mineral water comes to Korea

Georgia’s naturally carbonated mineral water, Nabeghlavi, will be available in Korea in the foreseeable future thanks to concerted efforts by the Georgian Embassy in Seoul. The diplomatic mission has strived to strengthen bilateral ties on various fronts between the two countries since opening its office in August 2011.Nabeghlavi, renowned for its unique taste and healthy properties, is a competitive national mineral water brand in the mountainous Caucasus country. Bottling of the Nabeghlavi wat

Dec. 19, 2016

Nabeghlavi, Georgian mineral water comes to Korea

Agreeing on the future of migration governance

By Shahidul Haque, foreign secretary of Bangladesh We live in a rapidly evolving, hyper-connected world, where goods, capital and people are more mobile than ever before. But whereas countries have shown a willingness to cooperate on exchanging goods and capital, the international community has shown little appetite for improving how it governs human mobility.After the wide-scale persecution and displacement of people in World War II, world leaders took the bold step of crafting the 1951 Refugee

Dec. 19, 2016

5 ways North Korea has changed in 5 years under Kim Jong-un

TOKYO (AP) -- It's been five years since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took power following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, whose demise was observed at monuments and on city center plazas across the nation Saturday. Here's a look at five ways the country that has now been ruled by three generations of Kim -- starting with grandfather Kim Il-sung -- has changed since the ascension of its 30-something "respected marshal." THE MAN HIMSELFKim Jong-un is in some ways a lot more like his c

Dec. 17, 2016

5 ways North Korea has changed in 5 years under Kim Jong-un

US to release second blacklist of N. Korean human rights violators

The United States will soon release a second list of North Korean officials and entities to be sanctioned for their involvement in human rights violations, a senior state department official said Friday.Scott Busby, deputy assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, made the remark during a seminar held by the non-governmental Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) in Washington D.C., saying they are at the stage of trimming the list.In October, Busby said they were work

Dec. 17, 2016

S. Korea, Japan militaries directly exchange intelligence on NK for first time

South Korea and Japan on Friday directly exchanged classified information on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs for the first time in line with their intelligence-sharing pact which came into force last month, the defense ministry said. Defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told reporters that the exchange was made during a meeting between the two countries'senior defense officials held in Seoul in conjunction with a three-way security dialogue which also includes the United States.

Dec. 16, 2016

S. Korea joins U.N. refugee agency's club of key donors: foreign ministry

South Korea has joined the U.N. refugee agency's club of key donors that pay more than US$20 million a year, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday, underscoring the country's increasing humanitarian activities.The ministry said that as of this year, a total of 15 countries are in the donor group of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The group includes the United States, Germany, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Britain, Norway and the European Union.As part of efforts to strengthe

Dec. 15, 2016

Korea, China to hold talks on EEZ

South Korea and China are expected to hold a meeting next week in Seoul over a dispute on their maritime border in the Yellow Sea, a diplomatic source said Thursday.The two countries have been at odds over their partially overlapping exclusive economic zones. Seoul wants the EEZ to be drawn at the halfway point, but Beijing wants other relevant factors including the length of coastlines of each country to be reflected. Director general-level officials are expected to participate in the meeting,

Dec. 15, 2016

Portrait of outgoing U.N. chief Ban unveiled

A large portrait of outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was unveiled at the U.N. headquarters on Wednesday.Ban's portrait was placed next to that of his predecessor Kofi Annan on a wall at the lobby of the U.N. secretariat. Ban and his wife, Yoo Soon-taek, pulled blue cloth off the portrait in an unveiling ceremony attended by U.N. officials and diplomats from various countries. The portrait, painted by South Korean artist Lee Won-hee, depicts Ban wearing a blue tie standing next to a gl

Dec. 15, 2016

Portrait of outgoing U.N. chief Ban unveiled